1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that can be connected to an image-forming apparatus, an information processing method, and a recording medium storing a program used for the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, Print on Demand (POD) Systems storing data of a document such as a manual, a catalog, and meeting material as electronic data, and printing as many copies of the stored electronic data as necessary are widely used. Unlike the situation where a normal printing system is used, the user of a POD system does not have to use a printer driver of the POD system to set the setting data for document data to be printed. The setting data includes information such as which printer should be used for printing, in what style the document data should be laid out, and which function should be used for performing printing and finishing the document. The POD system can store and control the setting data using an application run in the POD system.
In the situation where the POD system is used, the print-setting data and the document data to be printed can be controlled together as one electronic document file. According to some systems, the electronic document file, including the print-setting data can be controlled by applications used in the systems and not by the device drivers. By using the electronic document file, which includes the print-setting data and the document data, it becomes possible to print according to the print-setting data, even though the user who set the print-setting data is not present. That is to say, it is not necessary to generate and input print-setting data repeatedly.
However, unlike a device driver, the application cannot directly control information of the output device. Therefore, when a user tries to store and control the print-setting data by using the application, there may be a difference between a function specified by the print-setting data and a function of the output device.
For example, when a user tries to print document data, an image-forming apparatus that is specified as the output device may not be able to perform the function specified by the print-setting data when optional functions of the image-forming apparatus may have been added, deleted, or modified. Also, in the situation where the image-forming apparatus specified as the output device by the print-setting data does not exist because of moving or the like, it is impossible to print the document data.
Further, in the situation where an output device that is different from the output device specified by the user who created the electronic document file is used for printing the document data, the different output device may not be able to perform the function specified by the electronic document file.
If the user performs printing of the document data according to the print-setting data when the function specified by the setting data and the function of the output device do not match, as in the above-described case, the printing process will be terminated or the printed result would be different from what was expected by the user. Further, when someone who is not the maker of the electronic document file tries to print the document data, he/she may not be able to determine how the document data should be printed. Therefore, sometimes it must be the creator of the electronic document file who determines whether or not the setting data is appropriate for printing the document data.